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The living room of Adrian's shoebox second floor apartment is a bit crammed, but when filled with friends, it passes for cozy. The young man had gotten some kind of promotion at work and to celebrate he'd invited everyone from their training sessions over to his place- a lineup which included all of the usual suspects. As the evening wore on the guests had dwindled until it was just the Rangers, Adrian, and Fern, which kinda made it more of one of their standard group hangs than a party, but that's just splitting hairs. A party is a party.
Most of the group is settled in the living room, spreading themselves out amongst the array of seats positioned around the small coffee table decked out with all manner of snacks and drinks, except for Amelia and Zayto, who are sitting just outside on the balcony walkway. If Izzy strains her ears she can hear snippets of the tarot reading Amelia is giving their alien friend drifting in through the window behind her head.
("Now don't worry," Amelia saying. "The death card doesn't literally mean you're going to die...")
By some unspoken agreement, the boys have let Izzy and Fern have the loveseat to themselves so they can cuddle up nice and close, and the rest have crammed themselves onto the couch nearby. Well, Adrian, Aiyon, and Ollie have crammed themselves onto the couch- there isn't room for Javi, but rather than sit on the perfectly empty armchair on the far side of the table, Izzy's brother has chosen to balance on the rather wide arm of the couch. Somehow, he makes it look like a comfortable spot to lounge.
Now, because Izzy's friends are all adults (something she teases them about often), the party does involve a healthy amount of weed and alcohol, but everyone has been very respectful of Izzy and Fern's boundaries and no one has offered them any all evening. Good friends, one. Peer pressure, zero.
Izzy has no problem with recreational drug use as long as it's done safely (Javi had hidden a box of pot under his bed for years before moving out and she'd only used it to blackmail him, like, three times) but as a student athlete she gets drug tested regularly, and Izzy is too smart to risk her future in exchange for a quick high. She thinks it's important to keep a clear head- how else is she going to come up with all of her snappy comebacks? Besides, she likes being the only sober one in the room. It makes her feel like she's better than everyone else.
She's kidding!
Mostly.
Anyways, a good mood in the room can be more of a high than any drug, and the positive vibes of the evening have Izzy feeling loose and relaxed... though maybe that has more to do with the girl sitting next to her.
Fern. Her girlfriend. Izzy is honestly still a little bit shocked that she has a girlfriend, let alone one as awesome as Fern, but the warm press of the body next to her reminds her that this fantasy is all real. She has a real life girlfriend who she can touch any time she wants to- in fact, she's going to do that, right now. Fern is wearing her hair down for once, long straight hair pooling around her shoulders, and Izzy reaches over and cards her fingers through the strands. She catches a whiff of lavender, the perfume Fern chose because it matched her lavender party dress, which is adorable because who thinks about little details like what scent matches their outfit? Fern does.
Fern's eyes to flit to her and she shoots Izzy a cute little smile, and Izzy's heart explodes like a firework. Bundled up in her favorite hoodie, snuggled up next to her girlfriend, just chilling with her friends... Izzy can't think of a time she's felt more comfortable.
It's always nice when Izzy's team hangs out with people completely removed from their wacky world of aliens- it forces them to just be normal people for a while. Zero shop talk. Izzy thinks that's cool.
Izzy loves being the Dino Fury Green Ranger- she gets to use her strength to help people, and pilot a giant robot. That's awesome! But there are drawbacks as well. Izzy has had to skip out on quite a few dates with Fern because she had Ranger business to attend to (and Fern was always patient and understanding, but she shouldn't have to be), and until they capture the last Sporix beast that probably isn't going to change. Being a Ranger is a big responsibility, and Izzy doesn't take that lightly. She has a duty to her team- the whole planet really -and if it comes down to a choice between her girlfriend or her coin... Izzy knows the answer, and it hangs around her neck like a lead weight.
It's different for her teammates, she thinks, because they're all already grown up and have settled into their own lives. She's still in high school, and she doesn't know how to plan for her future anymore. When Izzy looks too far ahead, she sees a big green hurdle, and she's not sure how she's going to clear it.
But she shouldn't be worrying about that tonight! There's a soda in her hand, Fern's head is on her shoulder, and her friends are making amazing fools of themselves.
"I can't believe the people on this planet smoke weeds!" Aiyon exclaims, taking another greedy puff from the blunt the boys are rotating. He sucks the smoke in so hard his eyes cross, and Fern giggles.
"On this planet?" Adrian laughs, snatching the blunt away from him and depositing it in the ashtray. "Dude, you're so high you're in outer space right now."
"Trust me, Aiyon doesn't need drugs for that," Izzy teases, and Javi barks out a surprised laugh.
"I've got munchies," Aiyon declares with deadly seriousness, one finger in the air like it's an important proclamation, while the other hand rubs his belly. "I must have hundreds of munchies inside of me right now! And the only way to get rid of them is with more snacks."
He seizes a bag of chips from the table and begins pouring it into his mouth, and Izzy has to admit she's a little impressed by how many he manages to catch. A good number still spill over the sides of his face, raining down onto Adrian and Ollie beside him, who laugh and brush the chips onto the floor carelessly. Javi snatches one off of Ollie's knee and pops it into his own mouth. Fern looks horrified.
"The crumbs..." She whines under her breath, her fingers twitching at the sight of the mess Aiyon is making. Izzy makes a soothing "sssshhhhh" sound and rubs circles into her back.
"That's not how munchies work," Ollie scoffs- but his usual condescending tone is undercut by the slight slur in his words. Izzy was surprised by how many hard ciders she'd seen him put away. "Munchies are- are- are- huh..." He trails off and stares at the ceiling, for once at a loss for words. "What are munchies?"
Javi, a veteran partyer, unscrews the cap on a bottle and offers it to his friend. "Ollie, dude, I think you need to drink some water."
"I think you need to- you need to drink your face," Ollie spits out, smiling triumphantly at his attempt at a joke. He doesn't protest when Javi presses the drink to his lips and forces him to take a sip. When Javi moves to lean back, Ollie seizes him and buries his head into his shoulder. "Thank you Javi-" come the muffled words. "I don't say this enough, but you're a good friend." Ollie pulls back, leaning heavily on Javi's shoulder, and beams at the rest of the group. "Everybody here is just such a good friend, I love you guys."
"Oh no," Izzy mutters in Fern's ear. "Ollie's a sappy drunk."
"Shut up!" Fern presses her elbow into Izzy's rib and smiles. "I think it's sweet! Ollie's found a heart."
Izzy shifts in her seat, fishing her phone out of her pocket. "You're right, we should be filming this."
A stern look from her girlfriend is enough to make her drop her phone, and Izzy lifts her hands into the air in a show of surrender. Fern rewards her with a kiss to the temple, so Izzy thinks it was a good tradeoff. That kiss gives her the motivation to behave herself during Ollie's marathon cry session where Aiyon and Javi have to hold his hands and reassure him that yes, they do think he's cool- though this only lasts about seven minutes before Ollie sobers up a bit, dries his eyes, takes a drink of water, and starts ranting about Amelia's latest BuzzBlast project as if nothing had happened.
The conversation continues in a much less dramatic fashion after that and the room is filled with a steady stream of chatter until around midnight, when things take an unexpected turn. It starts with everyone nerding out over the latest episode of Kung-Fugitive.
"That Steel Silva guy is a machine," Izzy says, giving the air a little karate chop for emphasis. Kung-Fugitive is her favorite show, and her eyes practically sparkle as she discusses its star. "Did you know that he does all of his own stunts? That's so awesome! He did a triple backflip in the last episode, and I read online that in the season finale he's gonna do a quadruple backflip. He's gotta be the coolest guy on the planet."
"Sounds like you're really into this guy," Aiyon teases, pausing to swallow a mouthful of popcorn. "Should Fern be jealous?"
"Oh yeah, totally," Izzy grins her most shit eating grin and turns to Fern, who shakes with barely contained laughter. "Didn't I tell you? I've decided I'm not gonna go to college, after graduation I'm going to Hollywood to stalk him. You understand, right?"
Fern, always down to play along with one of Izzy's bits, huffs out a sigh and snaps her fingers in frustration. "Darn! Guess I'll have to find a new roommate at Oakdale."
"Don't you dare," Izzy teases, snatching Fern's wrist possessively, and then she lifts their hands up and places a kiss on the knuckles of their joined fingers. A chorus of "awwww"s rings out from the boys on the couch. Izzy thinks she can see Javi taking a picture, and she'll have to get him to send it to her later.
Adrian snatches a bottle from the table and relaxes into the couch, placing his feet on the table and smiling over at the girls.
"Well, I guess now we know who Izzy's celebrity hall pass is," he remarks.
Izzy rolls her eyes. "Please, Steel Silva is cute but I'm saving my hall pass for someone much cuter."
She nudges Fern on the shoulder, and Fern, knowing damn well who she's talking about, hums a snippet of a tune. It's a topic that's definitely come up before and Izzy was happy to share because she doesn't keep secrets from Fern- well, except for the one.
"Celebrity hall pass?" Aiyon's brow furrows in confusion and he glances around the group. "What's that? We didn't have those where I'm from."
"A celebrity hall pass is a celebrity that you and your partner agree it would be okay to hook up with," Javi explains, scratching his head as he thinks of how to phrase his answer. "It's kind of a game- since these people are so famous you're probably never going to meet them, so it's just fun to talk about."
"Javi's is Shakira," Izzy tells Aiyon, jumping at the chance to snitch on her brother, and Fern gives a very unladylike snort in surprise. "Which I know because I had to hear 'Hips Don't Lie' about a million times growing up."
Javi crosses his arm and humphs. "Hey, I just appreciate the songwriting!"
Izzy eyes him, unimpressed. "Sure Jan."
"Mine is Zack Taylor," Adrian supplies helpfully, which definitely catches everyone's attention.
"Like..." A bewildered Fern squints at Adrian. "Like, our congressman?"
The young man shrugs nonchalantly, and no one seems interested in asking any further questions.
"For me, it's Grace Sterling," Ollie jumps in, a bit too smugly. "Yes, she's a bit older, but that doesn't matter to me. I think the sexiest thing a woman can be is intelligent."
"Oh you do? Here's your medal," Izzy mimes tossing him an imaginary award, and Ollie is just drunk enough that he fumbles to try and catch it before his brain catches up with his body. He glares at her, and she smiles sweetly.
"This sounds fun!" Aiyon exclaims, then a thoughtful look crosses his face. "I think I know who mine is but, uh, well, she's from back home so you guys wouldn't know who she is. And I guess she's probably dead now." There's a brief moment where he looks like he might be sad, but then his face cracks into a smile again. "So I guess I'll have to find a new one!"
"That's the spirit!" Adrian claps him on the back, knocking some of the chip crumbs off of Aiyon's jacket. He looks over at the couple sitting on the loveseat. "What about you Fern?"
"Yes!" Aiyon, excited by this little game, beams across the table at Izzy's girlfriend. "Tell us Fern! Tell us about what celebrity you'd like to pass in a hall!"
All eyes are on them, and beside Izzy, Fern flushes. "You guys don't wanna hear about that."
Oh? Izzy thinks, intrigued. "So there is someone then?"
"Trust me, it's really embarrassing," Fern says, ducking her head slightly so her hair spills across her face. She doesn't seem genuinely upset, just... bashful, for some reason.
"Oh well now I've gotta know," Adrian grins and scoots closer, leaning across the gap with his hands on his knees. "Who is it?"
"Come on Fern," Izzy prompts her, a little bit curious herself now. It's not like Fern to keep a secret. "I'm not gonna judge you. You already know my celebrity hall pass!"
"Yeah Fern," Javi jumps in, nodding sagely. "Whoever it is, it can't be more embarrassing than Izzy's crush on Kira Ford. She still owes me for stealing all of my CDs growing up."
"Hey, that's a lie!" Izzy gasps and splays a hand against her chest. "I barely know what a CD is, boomer. You lost those on your own because your room is such a mess."
"Oh yeah? My room is a mess?" Javi smirks, tilts his head, and looks at Izzy's girlfriend. "Hey Fern, did my sister ever tell you about the time I came into my room and saw her with my life-sized Kira Ford poster, and she was-"
He doesn't get to finish his sentence before Izzy launches herself across the table, scattering cards and chips everywhere, and slaps a hand over his mouth. He falls to the floor and the two of them begin to wrestle, but even with his Ranger training Javi is no match for her so it's only a few seconds before she has him on the ground with his hands pressed against his back. Adrian, Aiyon, and Ollie explode into cheers and stomp their feet, heckling the two of them like it's a boxing match, which makes Izzy roll her eyes (because boys) but also does quite a bit to egg her on.
Javi may be the big brother, but she's always going to be stronger than him.
"Fern, help!" Javi cries, twisting his head so the corner of his mouth is free. Eyes wide, he appeals Izzy's girlfriend, who's currently cackling as she watches the two tumble about. "Fern, you're my only hope!"
"Iz!" Fern huffs out between laughs. "Let your brother go!"
As ordered, Izzy releases her brother, and she makes a show of dusting her hands off for dramatic effect. The other boys boo, but Izzy struts back to her seat with her head held high.
"I'll spare you- this time," Izzy taunts her brother, and Javi flips her off. Izzy slips back onto the couch next to Fern, who instantly wraps her up in her arms and snuggles a bit closer to her. "Still the undefeated champion."
"That was awesome Izzy!" Aiyon exclaims, and Izzy leans across the table to give him a high five.
"It really was," Adrian agrees, but then he looks knowingly at Fern. "But we're still waiting on that answer Fern. Celebrity crush, go."
Fern nibbles on her lip for a moment, weighing her options, then she sighs.
"Okay, but- promise you guys won't laugh?" Fern glances around the room nervously, and everyone nods. Izzy gives her a squeeze on the shoulder for good measure- how bad could it be? This is her girlfriend. Izzy lo- really likes her. Whatever Fern says, it won't make Izzy think about her any differently.
"It's the Green Ranger."
Or maybe Fern would say that and make Izzy's brain fall on its ass. Speechless, she just looks around the room. Javi is choking on his beer. Adrian is cackling with glee. Aiyon's mouth has dropped open and he can't stop glancing between Fern and Izzy. And poor drunk Ollie just looks confused.
"But wait, that doesn't make any sense because-" Ollie manages to get out, before Javi elbows him in the shoulder.
Fern, flushed darker red than Izzy has ever seen, groans loudly and hides her face behind her hands. "See, I told you! It's embarrassing."
"It's not embarrassing I just-" Izzy falters her words, honestly not sure what she's supposed to say to that, and instead she rubs Fern's shoulder in an attempt to bring her some comfort. "I wasn't expecting you to say that, that's all."
"What about the Green Ranger?" Amelia says, of course choosing the worst time to enter into the conversation. She steals the empty armchair and Zayto settles in to stand behind her, casually leaning on the plush back of the hair to peer over her head. The two of them smile at everyone else expectantly.
"Fern thinks the Green Ranger is hot," Aiyon announces, a bit too eagerly. "In a sexy way."
"Ooooohhhhh," Amelia and Zayto say at the same time, and Amelia raises an eyebrow at Izzy. Izzy gives a small shrug she thinks Fern won't notice, and tries to screw her head back on.
"I thought you didn't date boys?" Adrian tilts his head and squints at Fern. "Isn't the Green Ranger a guy? The girl Rangers wear skirts."
"Not all girls like skirts," Izzy spits out, more on instinct than anything else, and Adrian raises his hands in the air in surrender.
"What can I say?" Fern says, still flushed red, and she glances sidelong at Izzy. "I'm a sucker for a tomboy."
"That's fair," Adrian shrugs and takes a swig of his drink. "Fern, trust me, there is nothing embarrassing about being turned on by a Power Ranger. I'm pretty sure the Yellow Ninja Steel Ranger was my sexual awakening- the things I wanted that man to do to me... like I am completely down to fuck a Ranger. Just name the time and place. "
"Ew!" Amelia shudders and scrunches her eyes shut. "What kind of conversation did I walk into?"
"Oh come on, don't try to tell me you guys haven't thought about it!" Adrian gestures suggestively with his bottle. "All that adrenaline pumping through their veins after they blow up one of those giant monsters- I guarantee you ten to one that the first thing they do after the monster blows up is get nasty inside of the giant robots."
"They're called Zords," Zayto chimes in, frowning at the thought of someone making a mess in the cockpits. "And something tells me that it would be considered very unprofessional to use them for personal reasons."
"Could be good team building," Aiyon jokes, and Zayto shakes his head in gentle bemusement.
"What is it that you like about the Green Ranger?" Javi asks Fern gently, and Izzy shoots him a glare that he ignores.
"I don't know-" Fern sucks in a breath and her fingers tighten around her knees. "She's just strong, you know? She's so powerful and confident." There's a bit of her dreamy look in her eyes as she stares into the middle distance, her voice bright as she speaks. "This is really stupid, but, I got caught up in a monster attack a few weeks ago and I got to watch her fighting... she's incredible! The way she moves her body- and she was cracking jokes the whole time, which is so attractive to me." She looks at Izzy again, a bit apologetically. "Sorry if that's weird."
Oh it's definitely weird, Izzy thinks. But not how you think.
"The Green Ranger is okay, but you know who's the coolest? The Gold Ranger," Aiyon grins. "That guy is awesome!"
All of the Rangers roll their eyes and Aiyon launches into a rambling explanation of how the Gold Ranger is actually the greatest Ranger of all time, but Izzy isn't really listening. Her heart is pounding in her chest and she's hyper-aware of every point of contact between her and Fern- the press of their shoulders, their thighs, the way Fern's hair tickles the side of her face whenever she shifts. Fern is listening to Aiyon's speech, laughing along with everyone else, but then she glances at Izzy curiously, and Izzy belatedly realizes how tight her grip on Fern's knee has gotten.
She leans in and whispers in Fern's ear. "Hey, we need to get out of here."
Fern looks a bit surprised, but nods. Without sparing a word for any of the others, Izzy rises to her feet and grabs Fern by the hand, leading her out of the living room towards the secluded hallway off to the side of the apartment. She doesn't dare look back, only the feel of Fern's soft hand in her own lets her know the other girl is still there, until at last they're alone. She doesn't bother to turn the lights on so they're only illuminated by the dim light that spills in from the other room, which offers a feeling of private intimacy even though technically anybody could walk by.
"Is everything okay?" Fern asks, her brow a bit furrowed, and god, she's the cutest thing Izzy has ever seen and it's driving her brain haywire.
"Don't worry, everything's fine," Izzy manages to say, barely audible to herself over the rush of blood pounding in her ears. "But hey, quick question, would it be okay if I pressed you into the wall and kissed you really really hard?"
"Uh-" Fern's eyes widen and she swallows heavily. "Yeah, sounds great!"
"Awesome."
Izzy accepts consent with like water after a five-mile run and she darts forward with gusto, pinning Fern against the wall with two hands and slamming their lips together. Fire and electricity explode when their bodies connect, and one of them (Izzy isn't sure who) lets out a groan. For a few seconds, Izzy relishes the feeling of complete control, before her girlfriend presses back against her and returns her affections with equal ferocity. That's one thing Izzy loves about their relationship- there's always a hint of competition between the two of them, neither of them willing to be outdone, which leads to some mind blowing make out sessions.
The two of them make out against the wall like the horny teenagers that they are, melting into a mess of bodies and hands, but after a few blissful minutes Fern pulls away; Izzy lets out a little whine of protest the second Fern is away from her. Smiling from ear to ear, Fern leans her forehead against Izzy's and gazes into her eyes, and Izzy is helpless against the power of Fern's shiny brown eyes.
"What's gotten into you all of the sudden?" Fern teases, one hand toying with a lock of Izzy's hair, and Izzy smirks.
"Excuse me, do I need an excuse to want to kiss my incredibly beautiful girlfriend?" She leans forwards for another kiss, but Fern gives out a gasp of shock and pulls back.
"You have a girlfriend?" She exclaims, then a smile breaks across her face. "Oh wait, that's me."
"I'm rubbing off on you," Izzy chuckles, because that's her dumb joke and it's cute that Fern likes her enough to use it. Fern is just cute, and Izzy really wants to keep kissing her, so she leans forward again, but Fern just boops her on the nose with a finger. Izzy gives out a startled laugh.
"Before we keep going, I just wanna check-" Fern looks at her with fondness and tilts her head to the side a little bit, looking a little bit too bashful for someone whose tongue had been in Izzy's mouth less than a minute ago. "You're not jealous about what I said about the Green Ranger, right? Because if you are, I want you to tell me. I know it was a little bit weird."
"Trust me, jealous is the last thing that I am right now," Izzy darts in for another kiss, which she gets, and this time she takes it slow. Thoughts are racing through her head, and when she pulls back, she has the best idea ever. "I'm not jealous at all- actually, I think it's kinda hot that you have a crush on the Green Ranger."
"You do?" Fern's eyes widen in surprise and Izzy goes in for the kill.
"I really, really do," she mutters, her voice dropping low and sultry. She slides her body in as close as possible so she can whisper directly to Fern, close enough to feel her girlfriend's pulse quicken as Izzy's lips brush against the shell of her ear. "In fact, maybe if you're good, one of these days I might be able to get my hands on a replica Ranger suit and we could do a little roleplaying... if that's something you'd be interested in."
"Really?" Fern's fingers drift down the side of Izzy's arm, leaving tingles in their wake as she traces Izzy's outline. "You'd do that for me?"
"I'd do anything for you," Izzy admits, and she means it. If only Fern knew how much this meant to her. "I'll tell you what I do- I'd get all dressed up in that tight green costume..." One of Izzy's hands slides up to card through Fern's hair, and she watches as the other girl's eyes close. "We could pretend that you're in trouble, like some big, nasty monster that's been scaring everybody is attacking you, but just when you thought it was over the Green Ranger swooped in and fought it off. Just for you. Because you're the hottest girl in the world."
"And then I'd lean in real close," Izzy leans down and presses her head against Fern's neck, lips hot on skin in a not-quite kiss. "And I'd put my hands here," she lets her hands drift down Fern's body to rest on the curve of her backside. "And I'd sweep you off your feet, like the big strong hero of your dreams," she grabs hold of her girlfriend and hoists her into the air, grinning at the way Fern's legs instinctively wrap around her waist even as she squeals in shock. They've never tried this before, but Izzy is strong and the position just feels natural. "And then I'd do some things that I definitely don't wanna talk about while my brother is in the other room."
Izzy stops toying with her girlfriend and goes in for a proper kiss, sucking into the sensitive spot on her neck hard enough to bruise, and Fern gasps in delight. Izzy would happily spend hours dotting her girlfriend's neck with hickeys but, not to be outdone, Fern seizes Izzy's face with one hand and pulls her back in for another mind-blowing kiss that's so good it makes Izzy feel lightheaded. Then the two of them are making out in the hallway, Fern straddling her waist, and Izzy is pretty sure that her life has peaked.
"That sounds amazing," Fern breathes out between kisses- however, then a shadow flickers across her face and she lowers her feet to the floor, tenderly burying her head into Izzy's shoulder. "But-"
Izzy pulls back with a frown, concern cutting through the fog of lust. "Sorry, was that too much?"
"No, that was the hottest thing I've heard in my life," Fern reassures her, tilting her head sideways so she can gaze up at Izzy, and Izzy is lucky Fern's feet are back on the ground because the sight makes her knees turn to jelly. "It's just- the Green Ranger's suit has a helmet, and I want to be able to see your face."
And Izzy's goal had been to indulge her girlfriend's fantasy, but that answer? That was really doing it for Izzy. Her mind is an explosion of chaotic thoughts, all of them good and involving soft skin and the smell of lavender. Fern likes her. Fern likes her other half. Fern likes her no matter who she is. Fern likes her no matter what. Fern is better than first prize, better than any drug, the best thing ever maybe. Fern's mouth feels really good on Izzy's and why is she wasting time thinking about any of this when she could be kissing her girlfriend?
Izzy brushes a strand of hair from Fern's face and smiles. "Don't worry, I have it on good authority that the helmets come off."
"Good authority?" Fern asks, lifting her head up so she can give Izzy the full suspicious look. Sometimes, the girl is too smart for her own good. "What does that mean?"
"Shhhhhh," Izzy presses a finger to Fern's lips, then replaces it with her own lips for a quick kiss. "No more questions, okay?"
They don't do much talking for the rest of the evening.